How Employers Feel About Online Degrees

Online degrees are proving to be a great way to enhance your college education, or even get one if for one reason or the other you never really got the chance to pursue a college education. These courses are great, especially for those who are hard-pressed for time, as they provide flexibility. However, online courses have also attracted a lot of skeptics with some educational experts arguing that they do not produce the same value as traditional learning settings.

So what do employers have to say about this whole online education debate? At the end of the day, people pursue an education to attract employment, and what the employers think about online education matters a great deal.

What Do Employers Really Think Of Online Degrees?

Here is what some employers think about online degrees.

83 percent of company executives would hire people with online degrees

Employment is subject to the type of online degree

The online institution matters

Employers are now more open to the idea of online education. A survey seeking to identify what employers thought of online degrees was conducted by Zogby International and Excelsior College. 83 percent of the company executives interviewed said that they perceived online degrees to be just as credible as degrees obtained the traditional way. That said, many employers are still cautious about the many unaccredited institutions that provide degrees online and the learning institution matters a great deal. The good news is that many universities are now providing online degree programs which are making it easier for the job market to accept these degrees. The other thing that employers are looking at is the course. There are certain online degrees that employers are not too keen on accepting, and these are mainly from programs with lots of hands-on work. However, it might be an advantage if you actually took up an IT related degree online.

What an Online Degree Says About You

It’s not just about the degree or institution. Your online degree could also highlight a positive side of you and this could be that you are driven and can manage your time well. Employers are aware that it takes a lot of discipline to study online and completing an online degree is no joke. You need to be strict with time, tech savvy and it also shows a sense of initiative. These are all brilliant qualities to possess, and qualities that could help you get a great job. If you pursued your degree while still working full-time, your employer is able to recognize that you can easily juggle tasks and handle stress related tasks well despite the obvious time constraints.

We have a long way to go before the skeptics of online degrees can be eradicated but the facts speak for themselves. You don’t have to worry about getting employment if you attained your degree from an accredited and recognized institution. There are a lot of things that employers look out for. What matters most in this case is that they have no qualms hiring employees who obtained their degrees online.